Key Points
- Chinese-made AH4 155mm howitzers have appeared with the UAE-backed Southern Giants Brigades in Yemen, after recently being documented with UAE-supported forces in Sudan.
- SIPRI data shows the UAE is the only confirmed foreign operator of the AH4, a lightweight Norinco-made system with a range of up to 40 km.
Chinese-made AH4 155mm howitzers have appeared for the first time with the UAE-backed Southern Giants Brigades in Yemen, marking another overseas deployment of the lightweight artillery system as the conflict’s dynamics continue to shift.
The same model was recently documented with the UAE-supported Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan.
According to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the United Arab Emirates is the only confirmed foreign operator of the AH4 outside China. The movement of the system into multiple regional conflicts underscores Abu Dhabi’s influence across its partnered forces and its ongoing role in shaping the military balance in Yemen and Sudan.
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The AH4, manufactured by China’s state-owned Norinco, is a lightweight 155mm towed howitzer designed to offer greater tactical mobility compared to traditional heavy artillery. The system weighs approximately 4.5 tons, a fraction of the 18-ton class of older towed howitzers, allowing it to be transported by heavy-lift helicopters such as the CH-47 or Mi-26 and tactical airlifters like the C-130 or Y-8.
Norinco’s design resembles the U.S.-made M777 lightweight howitzer produced by BAE Systems, which has a similar mass of around 4.2 tons. Both systems were created to meet a growing demand for long-range firepower that can be quickly repositioned across difficult terrain and inserted via air transport.
As noted in multiple assessments, the AH4 offers a firing range of up to 40 kilometers when equipped with rocket-assisted projectiles. This range allows it to support mobile ground units and strike targets at a distance without relying on heavier, less mobile artillery platforms.
Imagery emerging from Yemen shows the howitzer deployed with the Southern Giants Brigades, one of the most prominent UAE-backed formations involved in fighting Houthi forces along key frontlines.
The appearance of the AH4 follows verified photos of the same system in Sudan, used by RSF units that have received extensive support from the UAE. Analysts monitoring regional arms flows note that the presence of the same Chinese system in two conflicts where Abu Dhabi plays a central role is unlikely to be coincidental.
The United Arab Emirates has long invested in modernizing the firepower of partner forces, and the AH4’s mobility provides an advantage in environments where rapid redeployment is critical. The howitzer can be emplaced quickly, deliver accurate fire, and be repositioned before counter-battery threats emerge — a capability valued in both Yemen’s rugged terrain and Sudan’s dispersed battlefields.
Neither China nor the UAE has publicly addressed the system’s onward transfer or its operational employment by proxy or partnered groups. Beijing traditionally maintains tight control over public information related to arms exports, while Abu Dhabi typically avoids detailing the equipment it supplies to allied forces.
